R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to thank Members of the Standing Committee on Government Operations for their review of Bill 61 and the MLA for Yellowknife North for bringing the bill forward and his efforts. Given existing resources and focus on current legislative priorities for the 19th Legislative Assembly, the Department of Justice, which jointly administers the act with the Legislative Assembly, has not been able to undertake a policy analysis, the policy analysis that is necessary to fully understand the impacts of some of the proposed amendments in Bill 61, but had provided initial...

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, March 29th, 2023, I will present Bill 81, An Act to Amend the Education Act, No. 2, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Aurora College Act states that the Minister is not supposed to get involved in the operations of the college. And I will say that those are positions of the college, not necessarily positions of a municipality or a region. So I'm sure the board will do whatever is best for the college. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The president works for the board so the board can set the direction of the college. And I hope they do set the direction of the college. I hope they are engaged enough to set that direction. And based on the conversations I've had, I'm sure they will. Thank you.

Thank you. I have with me John MacDonald, deputy minister of Education, Culture and Employment. And Laura Jeffrey, legal counsel with the Department of Justice.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am here today to present Bill 63, An Act to Amend the Official Languages Act. The Official Languages Act of the Northwest Territories seeks to recognize, preserve, and enhance the use of Indigenous languages in the NWT, along with the two official languages of Canada. To do so, the act designates Chipewyan, Cree, English, French, Gwich'in, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, North Slavey, South Slavey, and Tlicho as official languages in the NWT. The act requires a review of the provisions and operation of the act to be conducted by the Legislative Assembly or a...

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, March 29th, 2023, I will present Bill 82, Legal Profession Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present to the House Bill 72, Opioid Damages and Healthcare Costs Recovery Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. No, I can't. I don't have the authority to commit to the commanding officer. Our agreement with the Government of Canada is very clear that the GNWT does not direct the operations of the RCMP. However, the community government is more than welcome to reach out to the commanding officer and request a meeting. I know that he's still relatively new to the territory and is trying to get out to the communities and meet with everyone so it could be a good opportunity. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Each year I send out letters to the Indigenous governments across the territory to ask what they think the policing priorities should be for the RCMP. As Minister, I provide the RCMP with their policing priorities annually. One of the three priorities relates to drug and alcohol use. So we start right at the very high level. That's how we begin engaging. At the local level, there are you know, the RCMP is always open to meet with Indigenous government leadership. They're willing to meet with elected leaders. You know, when I speak with elected leaders in communities...